MPLS Architecture

MPLS Network Model

Internet

LER

IP

LER

LSR
LSR

MPLS

LSR

MPLS

LSR
LER

LSR = Label Switched Router

LER = Label Edge Router

IP

MPLS Benefits
Comparing MPLS with existing IP core and IP/ATM
technologies, MPLS has many advantages and
benefits:
The performance characteristics of layer 2
networks
The connectivity and network services of layer 3
networks
Improves the price/performance of network layer
routing
Improved scalability

MPLS Benefits (contd)

Improves the possibilities for traffic
engineering
Supports the delivery of services with QoS
guarantees
Avoids need for coordination of IP and
ATM address allocation and routing
information

Necessity of L3 Forwarding
For security
To allow packet filtering at firewalls
Requires examination of packet contents,
including the IP header

For forwarding at the initial router - used

when hosts dont support MPLS
For Scaling
Forward on a finer granularity than the labels
can provide

MPLS Architecture
Down stream label assignment for unicast traffic
On demand
Unsolicited

Path selection
Hop by hop
Explicit

Ordered vs. independent control

Loop detection and prevention mechanisms

Label Distribution Protocol (LDP)

Set of procedures used by LSRs to establish LSPs
Mapping between network-layer routing
information directly to data-link layer switched
paths
LDP peers:
Two LSRs which use LDP to exchange label/stream
mapping
Information exchange known as LDP Session

LDP Messages
Discovery messages

Used to announce and maintain the presence of an LSR

Session/Adjacency messages

Used to establish, maintain and terminate sessions between

LDP peers

Advertisement messages

Used to create, change, and delete label mappings

Notification messages

Used to provide advisory information and to signal error

information

Forwarding Equivalence Class (FEC)

Introduced to denote packet forwarding
classes
Comprises traffic
To a particular destination
To destination with distinct service
requirements

LSP - FEC Mapping

FEC specified as a set of two elements
IP Address Prefix - any length from 0 32
Host Address - 32 bit IP address

A given packet matches a particular LSP if and

only if IP Address Prefix FEC element matches
packets IP destination address

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Label Spaces
Useful for assignment and distribution of
labels
Two types of label spaces

Per interface label space: Interface-specific

labels used for interfaces that use interface
resources for labels
Per platform label space: Platform-wide
incoming labels used for interfaces that can
share the same label space

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LDP Discovery
A mechanism that enables an LSR to discover
potential LDP peers
Avoids unnecessary explicit configuration of LSR
label switching peers
Two variants of the discovery mechanism
Basic discovery mechanism: used to discover LSR
neighbors that are directly connected at the link level
Extended discovery mechanism: used to locate LSRs
that are not directly connected at the link level

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LDP Discovery (Contd)

Basic discovery mechanism
To engage - send LDP Hellos periodically
LDP Hellos sent as UDP packets for all routers on that
subnet

Extended discovery mechanism

To engage - send LDP targeted Hellos periodically
Targeted Hellos are sent to a specific address
Targeted LSR decides whether to respond or to ignore the
targeted Hello

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Session Establishment
Exchange of LDP discovery Hellos triggers session
establishment
Two step process
Transport connection establishment

If LSR1 does not already have a LDP session for the exchange of
label spaces LSR1:a and LSR2:b, it attempts to open a TCP
connection with LSR2
LSR1 determines the transport addresses at its end (A1) and
LSR2s end (A2) of the TCP connection
If A1>A2, LSR1 plays the active role; otherwise it is passive

Session initialization

Negotiate session parameters by exchanging LDP initialization

messages

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Label Distribution and Management

Two label distribution techniques

Downstream on demand label distribution:

An LSR can distribute a FEC label binding in response to an
explicit request
Downstream Unsolicited label distribution:
Allows an LSR to distribute label bindings to LSRs that have not
explicitly requested them

Both can be used in the same network at the same time;

however, each LSR must be aware of the distribution
method used by its peer

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Label Distribution Control Mode

Independent Label Distribution Control

Each LSR may advertise label mappings to its neighbors

at any time
Independent Downstream on Demand mode - LSR answers
without waiting for a label mapping from next hop
Independent Downstream Unsolicited mode - LSR
advertises label mapping for a FEC whenever it is
prepared
Consequence: upstream label can be advertised before a
downstream label is received

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Distribution Control Mode (contd)

Ordered Label Distribution Control
Initiates transmission of label mapping for a FEC only if it
has next FEC next hop or is the egress
If not, the LSR waits till it gets a label from downstream
LSR
LSR acts as an egress for a particular FEC, if
Next hop router for FEC is outside of label switching network
FEC elements are reachable by crossing a domain boundary

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Label Retention Mode

Conservative Label Retention Mode

Advertised label mappings are retained only if they are

used for forwarding packets
Downstream on Demand Mode typically used with
Conservative Label Retention Mode
Advantage: only labels required are maintained
Disadvantage: a change in routing causes delay

Liberal Retention Mode

All label mappings are retained regardless of whether

LSR is next hop or not
Faster reaction to routing changes

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Label Information Base

LSR maintains learned labels in Label
Information Base (LIB)
Each entry of LIB associates an FEC with
an (LDP Identifier, label) pair
When next hop changes for a FEC, LSR will
retrieve the label for the new next hop
from the LIB

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Hierarchical Routing in MPLS

External Routers A,B,C,D,E,F - Talk BGP
Internal Routers 1,2,3,4,5,6 - Talk OSPF
C
Domain #2

Domain #1

D
6

Domain #3

Note: Internal routers in domains 1 and 3 not shown

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Hierarchical Routing (contd)

When IP packet traverses domain #2, it will contain two
labels, encoded as a label stack
Higher level label used between routers C and D, which is
encapsulated inside a lower level label used within Domain
#2
Operation at C

C needs to swap BGP label to put label that D expects

C also needs to add an OSPF label that 1 expects
C therefore pushes down the BGP label and adds a lower level label

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Explicit Routing in MPLS

Two options for route selection:
Hop by hop routing
Explicit routing

Explicit Routing (Source Routing) is a very

powerful technique

With pure datagram routing, overhead of carrying

complete explicit route is prohibitive
MPLS allows explicit route to be carried only at the time
the LSP is setup, and not with each packet
MPLS makes explicit routing practical

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Explicit Routing (Contd)

In an explicitly routed LSP

LSP next hop is not chosen by the local node

Selected by a single node, usually the ingress

The sequence of LSRs may be chosen by

Configuration (e.g., by an operator or by a
centralized server)

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Loops and Loop Handling

Routing protocols used in conjunction with
MPLS are based on distributed
computation which may contain loops
Loops handling - 3 categories
Loop Mitigation/Survival
Loop Detection
Loop Prevention

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Loop Mitigation
Minimizes the impact of loops by limiting
the amount of resources consumed by the
loop
Method
Based on use of TTL field which is decremented
at each hop
Use of dynamic routing protocol converging
rapidly to non-looping paths

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Loop Detection
Loops may be setup but they are
subsequently detected
The detected loop is then broken by
dropping label relationship
Broken loops now necessitates packets to
be forwarded using L3 forwarding

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Loop Detection (Contd)

Method is based on transmitting a Loop Detection
Control Packet (LDCP) whenever a route changes
LDCP is forwarded towards the destination until
Last MPLS node along the path is reached
TTL of the LDCP expires
It returns to the node which originated it

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Loop Prevention
Ensures that loops are never set up
Labels are not used until it is sure to be loop free
Methods
Labels are propagated starting at the egress switch
Use source routing to set up label bindings from the
egress switch to each ingress switch

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